Fishing Report with Compleat Angler Dandenong & Ringwood: January 2009

Trout may have slowed but the COD are firing.

Although the warmer water temperatures have slowed the trout to a quiet whisper, the Murray Cod are loving the conditions.

Reports continue to come through the door at the Ringwood shop with great catches of Murray Cod from Warrandyte thru to Templestowe.

We have noticed this year that Anglers are more willing and increasing in confidence targeting Cod using, lures and Spinnerbaits rather than the traditional yabbies and scrubworms. A lot of success is coming from use of Australian Crafted lures and Bassman Spinnerbaits in particular.

The advantages of using a lure such as Australian Crafted are their ability to drift and swim over structures. This is done by using a high rod angle combined with a heavy leader material with a soft touch feel in the hand.

If you use a thin leader you will find that the lure, regardless of type, will ‘cut’ into the soft outer layer of timber on a snag resulting in your lure being caught.

Using heavier leader will mean it will ‘slide’ more easily over this soft texture and give the angler the ability to feel and control his/her retrieve. I would recommend using 30lb with my preference being Shakespeare Supreme Super smooth Mono line. This particular line or ‘30lb leader’ comes in a dark green shade, has good stretch but is very abrasive resistant. A great all-rounder.

Lure colours working best for this time of year on the Cod are natural soft colours, such as soft browns, greens and purples. If the barometer is moving rapidly up or crashing down then go to ultra bright colours such as pink/silver, orange/chartreuse.

Ringwood staff member Steve has had great success using a cicada patterned soft plastic attached to his spinner bait. This slows the sink rate of your spinner bait and also halves your retrieval speed. This also gives you extra long presentation in shallow water. If unsure how to rig up come in and have a chat with Steve or myself.

If you are using your Kayak to chase the cod, take a note from one of our regular customers Glen who lost all his tackle recently when his Kayak overturned. Lesson learnt - secure your tackle including your tackle box, rods and reel to your kayak.

This week we received a report of a 38lb carp being taken from the Yarra just near the Gun Club at Yarra Glen. This carp was taken on Coarse gear using maggots under a float. Great work on landing this beauty. If you are interested in Coarse fishing, why not come along to our Coarse/Freshwater Info night on 10th Feb at our Dandenong store.

Lilydale Lake has slowed down a lot over the past month.
Other areas of the lake are proving far more difficult. My suggestion would be to fish early morning before 10am and later in the day into dusk. As the lake is quite shallow in most parts the mid day sun heats it quickly, making the trout and other species go looking for the deeper, darker spots.

However Brad and several of his mates have been targeting trout using canoes and kayaks trolling around the Island in the middle. Best success has come from using Duel Stoop lures in particular the 50MR, colour PMC which is a natural shade of brown.

Warrandyte is starting to fire with early reports of Murray Cod being taken. Lilydale is still fishing well for Trout, although numbers are starting to reduce with the increase in water Temperatures. Other areas fishing well are the stretch of river above Warburton for Trout and around Chirnside Park for Macquarie Perch.

Scrubworms continue to work well around Warrandyte for Macquarie Perch. If you are targeting Perch, remember that these fish get spooked very quickly.

For up to date fishing information, both fresh and saltwater, contact the boys at Compleat Angler in Ringwood on 03 9870 7792 or better still drop in at 92 Maroondah Hwy– we’re open 7 days a week with plenty of top quality bait and a great selection of freshwater and saltwater gear.